Bayern Munich and France legend Franck Ribery have revealed that he had almost amputated his leg against the end of his career.
Ribery is best known for his time in Germany, where he won the Bundesliga nine times during his time at Bayern.
He claimed as one of the best wing players of his generation and also earned 81 caps for France.
The 41-year-old mentioned time on his career in 2022 after a stint of a year with the Italian side Salernitana, which was impeded by injuries for an illustrious 22-year career.
Ribery has revealed how he almost lost his leg that year after he suffered from a carnivorous leg infection after surgery on his knee.
In an interview with AS he said: 'My knee became more painful. I no longer trained between competitions but recovered to keep myself.
'I would take two days off, then three or four. I lost my rhythm to save myself. Then the tests revealed that I no longer had cartilage. I was operated on in Austria. The operation went well, placed inside with a plate.
'Almost five months later I had a serious infection. I took two months of pills. The plaque was removed.
“The infection had eaten me. It was so serious that I had gaps over my leg. I had sustained Staphylococcus aureus.
“I was admitted to the hospital for twelve days in Austria. I was really scared. They almost cut my leg. '
In general, Ribery scored 425 performances for Bayern and scored 124 goals between 2007 and 2019. He also won the Champions League with the German Giants in 2013 when they beat Borussia Dortmund in the final in the final.
When he was released by the club in 2019, he moved to Fiorentina and then joined Salernitana, but could only start 17 league matches in 2021-22 due to injuries. He was part of the team that made the final of the World Cup 2006, when France was defeated by Italy on penalties.
His highest individual award saw him finish third in the Ballon d'Or votes in 2013 behind Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Comments